How can you tell if PR is effective? 

In my efforts to answer five top questions people are asking about PR, it comes to the second biggest question and often one that I get asked on a daily basis:  

How can you tell if PR is effective? 

In a world of binge-watching and short-form content, there is often a need for instant gratification or clear labelled results. That has its time and place within every industry but when it comes to PR, instant gratification is not the case. 

PR is about consistency and patience to build trust and reputation. 

When it comes to knowing if your PR is effective, you will see real results between one to two years into your PR plan. You will likely see an increase of 5% turnover and real work engagement with people reaching out about becoming clients or having work coming into your business. 

If a PR agency, a newspaper, or online magazine says to you that “billions are looking at this newspaper,” that doesn’t mean that people are reading or clicking on your article. You don’t know if they are looking at your business if they are heading to that newspaper outlet or magazine. There can be no promises around the projected effectiveness and if any PR organisation is suggesting guaranteed business or sales, then that’s a massive red flag.  

The effectiveness of PR is usually intangible. You know you have effective PR when people say they know you when you don’t. You will get more enquires and opportunities to collaborate. People will phone you out of the blue to ask you questions. Usually, those who enquire with you are several times removed from your current clients or your profile as they have watched your business and activity from afar. 

If you have a team, having good PR creates a positive impact on them. When you have a good PR strategy you are talking about more than just your business, but your employees as well. You want to share and promote stories about them as well as the company. It’s a massive morale booster and having worked with many clients, I have seen this be a real effectiveness marker for their businesses. 

Your PR is effective when you get more natural media enquiries and direct invites to events or panels when you were never asked or offered before. This is a clear indicator that you’re becoming known as the “go to person” in your sector.  

Something I have also seen is that competitors in your field may become aware of your success and work. With your good PR, they may realise the competition you pose and get calls or comments from them. This is where your good PR comes into place to protect yourself and your business should anything happen that affects your reputation. 

  

Additionally, if you do bid management or work in the public sector, when you apply for contracts, you have to demonstrate certain behaviours. Whether that be evidencing your work within the charity or community sector or being engaged with sustainability or staff wellbeing. You’ll need to evidence this in your applications and bids for projects or funding. These attributes can be hard to evidence but media coverage does this! 

When it comes to PR, your decisions need to be based around how you sustain your business and evidence your work. Decisions need to be with your audience in mind. This is a big job and can’t be an employee’s ad-on job. 

If you want real, no BS PR, get in touch today.